Comfort Food Casserole for Cloudy Days: Mellow Monday

Cloudy today so I’m sharing a comfort food favorite with sausage (anything with sausage is our family favorite) for Mellow Monday.

This easy-to-make sausage casserole is a great filling dish – just add a veggie filled salad and crispy garlic bread and you’ll be smiling all evening.

Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes and White Beans

2-1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage links (pork or turkey), cut into 2- or 3-inch pieces
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 medium-large onion, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
4 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dried theme leaves
2 whole bay leaves
Salt and pepper
3 – 16 ounce cans white beans, such as cannellini, drained, with 1/2 cup of liquid from the beans reserved

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and, 5 minutes before you are ready to put the food in, turn the oven on to 425 degrees.

Mix everything but beans and their reserved liquid in a roasting pan. Set pan in oven. Roast until sausages are brown and tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce, about 45 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir in beans and reserved liquid, and continue cooking until casserole has heated through, about 10 minutes longer. Remove bay leaves and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Serves 8 – 695 calories with pork sausage or 425 calories with turkey sausage